Traveling
by thekoalaprincess
Summary: A short fluffy thing I wrote about Cas trying to get back to the Men of Letters bunker. This is my first piece of fanfiction.


Cas woke up sweaty, struggling to place where he was. The room smelled damp, and the sheets tangled around his legs didn't look like they had been cleaned in weeks. It was so strange, needing sleep. He didn't enjoy the vulnerability of remaining unconscious for several hours while nightmares wreaked havoc on his mind. He was already losing the memory of whatever horror he'd thought of last night. Demons ran rampant over Earth, all of Heaven had fallen...he had to wonder how much worse his nightmares could be from reality. Well...there was one way. He had a family here. In his nightmares, he always thought of either Sam or Dean in their final moments, with him unable to assist in any way. Lucifer sometimes put in an appearance, trying to drive Cas back into madness.

He hadn't seen either of the Winchesters since he had fallen, but thankfully Dean had thought to supply him with a fraudulent credit card even before Cas had ever needed one. Previously there wasn't a reason to eat, drink, sleep, travel. Cas could always just "mojo" himself wherever he needed to be. Granted, his vessel sometimes made him crave a burger, but he never really needed the food. Now...he was so weak. His survival depended on his ability to care for himself. He wondered what had become of Jimmy Novak, now that he was fully human. Jimmy had probably gone on to Heaven...if it was still there. For Jimmy, it was probably something of a relief to finally be unchained from his comet.

Cas ordered breakfast at a cheap diner nearby the cheap motel he'd stayed in overnight. He would find a bus later on, he thought, and studied the greasy menu a tired looking waitress handed him. Baffled and a little bit anxious, he decided to just stick to what he had learned from Dean.

"I would like a bacon cheeesburger," he asked politely.

The waitress rolled her gray-green eyes at the somewhat disheveled looking man and placed her hand on her hip.

"Honey, we don't serve that until 11:30 on the dot. It's 10. Would you like some coffee? Or maybe toast?"

Cas tilted his head a bit to the side and stated somewhat flatly, "Yes, that will be sufficient."

"Alright then, sit tight and it'll be out in a minute," she said as she walked back to the dingy kitchen. The diner had dirty tables, flithy floors, and chipped red painted accents on the walls. A few songs from the 50's played as Cas waited for his food. His stomach grumbled impatiently, and Cas was somewhat shocked at how hungry he now felt. When his toast and coffee finally arrived, he nearly attacked the meal and was finished in minutes. The waitress watched with a look of mild worry on her face. She looked about 45, and a little bit heavy in the hips. She approached him again and asked if he would like anything else. This time, Cas ordered a full breakfast, with eggs, bacon, and hash browns. The waitress went back to the kitchen and emerged a few minutes later with a huge plateful of food.

"Thank you," he told the waitress, who half-smiled in return.

"No problem, sweetheart, eat up," she said, in a considerably kinder tone than previously.

Cas finished his breakfast and paid with his credit card. He would have to find a phone to call Dean. That proved somewhat difficult, as an hour later, he had located a payphone, but lacked the pocket change necessary to use it. He decided to ask a passerby for a quarter or two to use the machine. After a few attempts, and some strange looks, a young woman parted with three quarters and he dialed Dean's number. After two rings, Cas heard Dean' voice.

"Hello?" the hunter barked into the phone inquisitively.

"Hello Dean. I am in California. I need to take a bus."

"Yes, and?" Dean replied, vaguely frustrated with the ex-angel's need for assistance. He had too much to deal with, not that he wasn't worried about Cas, but there were demons everywhere, and Sam was sick. It was something of a relief to hear from his angel though. One less major worry.

"And I thought you would want to know, Dean."

"Well now I do. Are you alright? Can you get back here? Be careful Cas...there's a lot that's out after you."

Cas thought for a moment. "Yes, I am aware of the others. I will arrive in a day or two."

Dean hung up the phone without bothering to tell his friend goodbye. What else would he say? Take care? I'm worried about you? I love you? Dean tried to convince himself yet again that he only loved Cas like family. Like how he loved Sammy. Dean had always worried about his sexuality. From the time he was about 16, really. He started to wonder if other guys noticed guys like he did. He figured they didn't and it was gay, but he managed to forget about it under the women and whiskey and triple bacon cheeseburgers. He'd convinced everyone, including himself that he was 110% straight. Until Cas. This was confusing, and he didn't really want it to be true. Dean liked girls, end of story.

It was just something strange that he and Cas had that "profound bond." Sure, Cas was kinda nice looking, and he had the bluest eyes Dean had ever seen and he was more attractive than any woman Dean had ever-

Dean grunted and shoved a chair. He didn't love Cas like that. They were, and always would be just family.

Meanwhile, Cas was waiting for a bus. He had been confused by the way Dean had ended the conversation so abruptly, but it was just as well, his minutes would have run out anyways. He found the bus stop soon after his exchange with Dean was over, and he checked to make sure he had the right amount of cash. He discovered that the bus could only take him a quarter of the distance to Kansas. He would be stopping a few times it appeared. Cas checked to see that he had enough cash on him to pay for bus fare each time. The bus finally arrived, and he boarded uneventfully. There weren't many people sitting in the slightly grimy, uncomfortable looking seats. One older woman was coughing, and a young man appeared to be intently listening to an Ipod. A woman who appeared to be in her late twenties watched her children who had nearly ran out the door when it opened to allow Castiel to board.

Cas looked around at the many empty and available seats, but chose to sit down next to the older woman who still had not stopped coughing. She shifted uncomfortably, not sure why the man would sit next to her. As soon as her coughing fit subsided, she reached into her purse to find her pepper spray. She'd heard of men like that, taking advantage of helpless women like her. After a few blocks, and Castiel's acting completely disinterested in her, she finally began to relax. She sneezed, and it sprayed over Cas, who had very little reaction as she apologized. She got off the bus shortly afterwards, leaving Cas waiting patiently to arrive at his destination.

A few hours later, he changed buses, and continued this for two days until he reached Kansas. Logically, he thought to find another pay phone and use some change to call Dean. He knew the city the bunker was located in, but he was hoping Dean would be able to pick him up in the Impala to travel there. Dean had been nesting in the bunker for a while, and it was starting to look like a home.

Dean picked up the phone on the second ring this time. Sam was in considerably better condition than he had been in the morning, and was sleeping fairly peacefully. He agreed to pick Cas up, and soon enough, Cas was home with Dean at last.


End file.
